Return of the Dragons
by Commentaholic's Dad
Summary: A tale predating the riders of how Dragons, once thought extinct returned to the land that would be Alagaësia
1. Chapter 1 Prologue

**Introduction: I've been writing fiction for a while but am intrigued by the format and interest generated on this site. You can see some of my other stories on my son's "commentaholic"s account. Here then is the first chapter of a new dragon story set in a historical or past A/U where dragons have basically gone extinct as they were previouly known and are now poised to make a comeback -**

**I've done a partial re-do of this first chapter due to some very good suggestions. **

The nest was broad and low, nestled under the cat-tails in the driest place that she could find on this miserable and muddy lake shore. The three eggs within seemed to glimmer and glow with a magical light that transcended their bleak and humble surroundings. She had waited her entire life, living in the squalor of need and the loneliness of exile before laying them. Others of her kind thought her simple, dull and ignorant, utterly devoid of the special gifting occasionally openly manifesting itself in her kind. For the way of magic, once powerful in her breed had dimmed and dwindled until it was reduced now into something more akin to wishing than invoking deliberately. They used its meager influence to change their luck, causing hapless prey to walk right up to them for an easy meal or attracting the prime males of her species bringing them under their primitive spells of sexual enchantment, thus causing them to do their whimsical selfish bidding.

Candasar had lived alone, hunted her prey by only wit, jaw and claw and conserved every scrap of magical energy she could consciously control and diverting it into her ovaries. Her own self loathing of the fate of her kind bolstered by the strange tale of lost glory passed down to her by her grandfather. He was the one that had told her that their kind had once ruled the skies. Only she, of all the foolish impressionable young, had been gullible enough to believe him when he told her wild tales of their people many generations ago that had been able to fly.

Her grandfather Mo-rung had been born with what most of her people would have considered a severe birth defect. Instead of broad flat flippers to propel himself through the waters his feet ended in segmented pointed joints, bone like, but hard enough to scratch the very rocks over which he scrambled. His "defect" caused him to be almost useless to the other males as they swam swiftly and hunted their prey and he was forced to perform the work of the females in caring for the young while his mate did her meager diminished part in his stead.

Worse than the disfigured feet, were the torn imperfectly formed flaps of skin, that hung boneless and limp sticking out of his back near his shoulder blades Though he could rudimentary still swim, he was slow and likely to be spotted by the men that inhabited the shores at the far end of the loch. Even though he did not attempt travel on the lake often, he had been spotted a time or two. Because of this, the region had developed a mythical reputation for sea monsters and the tribe had been forced into deeper hiding, leaving behind many of their favorite more bountiful fishing areas.

He and Candasar's family had suffered greatly for that while she was young. Though attractive enough, as a female of her kind she was ever deeply contemplative, and found few of her own age group of social interest. When he finally had died he had not been mourned, except by his strange and reclusive grand daughter. His death had severed something deep within her and she had grew more distant and distracted, spurning the advances of several of the larger, more powerful males, even if not magically provoked. Their humiliation and damaged pride caused several of them to begin telling lies about their conquests of her, lies she did not find credible enough to bother to deny.

Somehow these stories took hold and she often found herself the recipient of haughty looks from the females or worse yet, leering or suggestive physical contact from one of them if she happened to cross paths with them as she hunted her own food. Her once smooth flanks were scarred by gouges and teeth marks, souvenirs of her fending off their unwanted advances. Eventually as the prime age for the pairing of her kind was past, the unwanted attention faded to an angry sullen apathy toward her from all others, including her previously sympathetic and tolerant family. She swam and hunted the icy waters of the lake alone, biding her time dreaming at night of the star filled skies and silently stoking the magical fire burning deep within her body that defied everything she had been taught about her place in this world.

Then at last came the day that changed everything. While passing through a deep narrow underwater passageway, hidden from the eyes of men that her people used to remain unseen as they navigated the deep loch she caught the end of a conversation that she had waited far too long to hear. Two females, engaged in quick and furtive glances at her, spoke the words:

"His parents are so discouraged. The poor boy looks like that wretched creature that was Candasar's grandfather"

After doing some careful investigation of her own, she learned that a distant relative had been found to have a defective child. They had hidden him from the elders for many years, and had been successful until the other child, a female, hatched at the same time had begun to speak. The news of her brother's existence was soon forthcoming and the tribe had been called to meeting.

Far less tolerant of the weak was this council than those presiding over the generation of her grandfather, for because of their fear of discovery by man due to his inability to swim, the young male was banished to die, taken to the deepest part of the lake and left behind. As she watched from far out of sight in deepest shadow Candasar could hear the futile desperate splashing, his pointed claws unable to paddle and billowing leathery side flaps hissing and bubbling,with pockets of trapped air as he struggled to hold his head above the icy water, surely and swiftly sapping his strength and pulling him down towards the bottom.

She almost waited too long. The weak willed mother, although resigned to the fate of her offspring kept circling and swimming back toward him, as if to relent and save, but the stern voice of her husband and the elders kept her in line, until it was almost too late. At last, unable to watch, she turned and fled leaving Candasar to race toward the dying drowning male.

It was probably best that she reached him at the end of his strength, for the sharp talons of his strange feet cut deeply into her as he thrashed briefly at her approach. He sought in his desperation to climb upon her and out of the water but taking his slender neck in her jaws she bit down hard enough to temporarily choke him into unconsciousness. Then holding his head carefully out of the water she began the arduous task of towing his limp and lifeless looking body back to her cavern. Struggling to pull him, and herself across the lake she was grateful, in some respects for the hard and physical life of hunting and swiming she had endured. Her flipper ended feet thrashed deeply in the water and her long serpentine neck, unaccustomed to the added weight and discomfort of having to swim twisted to the rear shot silvery bolts of pain arcing through her brainstem.

As Candasar, near the last of her strength pulled the unconsciousness male up onto the muddy banks that formed the edge of her cavern lair, she saw for the first time the extent of his disfigurement. Though very young, the structures protruding from his shoulders were far larger than she expected and riddled through with veins and a cartilage structure far more extensive than that of his grandfather. As he groaned and rolled over, his eyes blinking groggily from his ordeal, a faint wisp of smoke trickled from one of his nostrils and she began to believe, for perhaps the first time, that her children would fly.

**Let me know how you like the beginning and don't forget to check out my other stories posted in the stories list of my son Commentaholic**


	2. Chapter 2 Introductions

Chapter 2

_a/n So chapter one was kind of a bust. Descriptions Descriptions, Descriptions and of course Dialogue. This is my new Mantra. Thanks so much to Sinitar for the encouragement. I dedicate chapter 2 to him. _

The algae on the cavern walls above the waterline glowed a steady green, throwing multifaceted reflections of softly shimmering light off the gentle swells in the water left over from Candasar's vigorous efforts in towing the young male to safety. They provided the only light in the dank and dreary chamber that Candasar called her home. She had been lucky to find it, and luckier still to keep it hidden. Not that she normally had much social interaction with the rest of her kind. Now that she had broken tribal mandate and rescued the outcast, if they were found it would mean certain death for both of them. Because there was only room for one on the narrow ledge above water, she paddled slowly, treading water on her large flippers and waited again for his eyes to flutter open. She wasn't that surprised when after they did, they began to cry.

"Mama, mama!" he called, loudly thrashing around so to as almost slide off the slippery edge, obviously mistaking her watery form for the mother that had eventually been the last to abandon him.

"Hush child!" she whispered urgently, "Lie still or you will fall in again! But I am not your mother."

This stopped him suddenly and he swung his long neck toward her to get a better look in the dim light.

"Who..?"

She cut him off quickly

"I am Candasar" she said quietly. "an outcast such as yourself, but for different reasons"

Seeming to at last remember the ordeal and events that led up to his near drowning, his stubby wings fluttered reflexively and he cowered back as far as possible onto the shoreline ledge.

"Don't look at me." he groaned in anguish, seeming to cower even further. "I am ugly"

"What is your name?" she asked quietly, trying to sound soothing.

"Fundor" he replied at last after a lengthy pause.

"Well Fundor," she began slowly, "Let me tell you a story about our ancestors of long ago. It is a story that was told to me by my Grandfather. Strangely enough, he looked a little little bit like you."

Long ago our people were plentiful and strong and they filled the skies and lived in their mountaintop lairs without fear. Game was plentiful and they hunted, not cold slippery fish but fell like lightning from above on the great beasts of the forest, killing and eating warm red meat. Their claws, segmented and sharp, such as yours, tore flesh as they wished until once again their mighty wings lifted them again from the earth to hunt in lazy spirals of green, gold, red and blue. But in their power and arrogance they awoke an ancient enemy.

The elves of the land far to the North of our ancestors had made contact with the great dragons of the south infrequently through the years, using their own telepathic abilities to learn the dragon's language by listening in on their unguarded mental conversations. And, as their territories grew more proximate in time, even shared in cordial conversations as elven scouts and far ranging fliers made more frequent contact with one another.

The elves, who used a deep magic, stemming from the true names of every rock, twig and physical force were fascinated with the dragons who seemed to possess huge untold amounts of this magical energy but lacked the vocabulary to harness it. The dragons seemed content to live out their lives in the realm of the unmatched physical prowess they possessed, little knowing, or even believing this short sightedness would lead to their undoing. For in their belief that one must only be strong enough to take what one wished the dragons seriously underestimated the power of Elven magic roused from its peaceful slumber in response to a serious mistake made by the dragons. For some of them had fallen from the sky to feed upon the southern settlements of the Elven folk and developed a twisted fondness for their flesh.

The elves, finding some of their homesteads missing, and sorting the grisly evidence, sent emissaries to the dragon rulers appealing for a cessation of the atrocity but met only arrogance, for the dragons were unused to having anything but their own way. Only one clan of the dragons stood against the rest of the race, appealing to the rest to consider the elves as peers and comrades, not to be fodder, but they were silenced.

The war that ensued was terrible and swift. The very magic that flooded the bloodstreams of the great dragons was turned against them and they were burned alive in the very fires of their own bellies as the glands that secreted the flames they could exhale were stoked from within to burn them from the inside out. The ones that survived were those that had less developed flame glands and took refuge in the water to quench their own internal fires. They were very few in number indeed.

The elves at last took pity on them and some were sorrowful for having had to slay thousands of the magnificent creatures, using a deep magic of change upon the dragons sheltering in the lake, changing the very nature of their shape, fusing their feet into flippers and stripping them of their great wings so that they no longer would be able to bring death upon the elves from above.

"Except, that being creatures of deep magic ourselves," Candasar at last finished "The changes wrought by the elven magic have left a few gaps that look back towards that which we once were. "

Fundor had remained silent through the telling of her tale, but now his eyes widened in realization.

"I am a throwback to our ancestors!" he said, another curl of vapor hissing and steaming from the tip of his soggy wet nose"

"I believe with all my heart" Candasar said slowly, " That you are not an abnormality, "The rest of us are!"

_A/N So I hope this helps clear up a bit of the history and explains things a bit better. Let me know if you like the story so far and if you have any suggestions. I don't really like Fundor starting out as such a wimp, but remember he's very young and he will need some time to adjust and get his confidence. _


	3. Chapter 3 Baby Steps

_A/N I have to say I'm overwhelmed with the positve reponse this story has received. I am also grateful. I struggle to get the chapters to the size that most of you quite prolific writers seem to crank out with no effort at all. It just takes so much time and so I appreciate how unfulfilling it can be to write your heart out and have someone read and devour your stuff in just a minute or two. A bit like feeding a growing dragon I suppose! Now I'm trying to be my own spoiler, so I'll just shut up and let you read the story. Thanks for any comment and suggestions!_

Baby Steps

Fundor woke the next morning alone. He lay on the muddy narrow shelf that made up the only relatively dry place the cavern provided. The events of the night before and the brutal treatment he had suffered at the whim of the clan elders was confusing to the young pseudo dragon. He felt betrayed and alone. He supposed Candasar was out hunting or something. He had never been able to swim but waded down the edge of the shore that sloped off into the subterranean pool. It was steep and slippery. He thrashed as he slipped in deeper than he intended, sputtering and spitting as he clawed his way back out of the water. He shivered miserably as he realized he was trapped in this cave, at least until Candasar came back for him.

When she at last did, she had fed and also brought a large fish for him. He devoured it quickly, looking about futility for more. Candasar, remembering the overpowering need for food brought on by growing at that age looked apologetically at him and said

"I'm sorry Fundor, that's all I could get. I really am exhausted and haven't slept at all since dragging you here"

Puzzled, he looked at her still treading water in the cavern and asked stupidly

"Why not?"

She seemed to smile slightly before answering quietly

"Because you are in my bed Idiot!"

Fundor almost lept from the ledge and waded into the water a few yards, despite his dislike of it

"Sorry," he mumbled apologetically

He was horrified to see the deep bloody scratches that still oozed a red deep on her sides and upper legs as she groaned slightly and crawled out of the water

"Did I do that?" he gasped

"Yes, but don't worry about it" she replied. "You didn't mean to do it. You were just trying to save yourself from drowning by using me as an island."

He looked away embarrassed and dismayed that he had done so much damage to the one that was trying to save him.

"It's just that I swim like a rock" he said sadly, forcing himself to meet her eyes, hoping his expression showed at least some gratitude.

"I'm a little puzzled by that actually" she said with her eye lids already drooping. "My grandfather could swim enough to keep his head out of the water, but he had more time to practice. I seem to remember him moving the entire length of his body through the water instead of trying to paddle with those very sharp feet. Maybe you could give it a try while I try to sleep a little."

Fundor nodded.

"I'll try not to make too much noise." he said softly but her eyes were already closed in sleep.

Intrigued by the possibility that he he might have been going about the swimming with a faulty plan, he waded deeper into the water of the cavern, raised his feet off the stony bottom and tried thrashing his body from side to side in the water. He sank immediately and came up coughing and sputtering. The water dragon on the shore stirred a little in her sleep but did not waken. Fundor looked again at the horrible red slashes and deep tears she bore on her body and wondered to himself why this stranger had bothered to save him. He tried again.

Eventually he found he could keep his head out of the water by holding his arms and legs straight back against his sides and violently thrashing his whole body like it was one great tail. It took a lot of energy but it would work in a pinch. Cold, tired and hungry he returned to the shallows and forced himself to sit quietly in the neck deep water until Candasar awoke. It was a long time. Eventually he saw one of her large green eyes quietly staring at him.

"Thank you" he said to her softly

"Did you learn to swim at all? Did my information help?" she asked hopefuly

"Yes it did, somewhat" he replied cautiously, "But I was thanking you for saving my life"

She only smiled at him, then pushing off the muddy shelf with her flippers she slid gracefully into the water.

"I will again hunt, but it is now midday and the big fish will be deep. I can make a good meal for myself out of many smaller ones, but to bring something back of any consequence I will need to catch a large one"

Funor nodded. He had been eating fish caught by others for his entire life. It was never enough.

Candasar looked at him thoughtfully and continued

"I bet the relative small size of our kind would be different if we ate the way our ancestors did. I wonder how big you could grow. We may soon have to find a way to supplement your diet"

Funor looked confused but nodded appreciatively. Food was good, the more the better. He climbed up onto the still warm shelf on which she had just lain to wait for her return, licking his lips in expectation. All that afternoon she hunted and each and every time, she returned with as much for him as she could carry. Each time, he finished every scrap.

"Didn't your family feed you?" she asked at one point, trying not to laugh as the fish she had just arrived with disappeared as fast as she tossed it to him

"Mom tried, but my sister got jealous as soon as she was told to catch her own fish. She didn't understand why she had to work for her own meals and I didn't."

"I suppose this sort of thing is hard to explain to a child" Candasar thought, but did not say aloud. "How am I going to teach him to hunt for bigger food? She said to herself.

That night they tried to share the small shelf. Funor pressed himself tightly against the rock wall, and Candasar laid as close as possible as she could to him while still leaving some space in between. Even so, most of her was in the water. There was an awkwardness in his eyes as she approached him that let her know it was far too soon to bring up the reason she had taken such an interest in the first place. She lay awake for a long time listening to his breathing as he dozed She almost thought she could feel the heat from his sleeping fire running down her body as she lay awake beside him. She turned her thoughts inward and guided the deep magic to work changes inside her, forming and repairing the deep places in her body that she dreamed would produce again creatures to rule the sky.

A/N end.

_To Say that Candasar wants to be a mommy is putting it mildly. I think she is going to have to raise Fundor first though. _


	4. Chapter 4 A walk in the woods

_A/N Tried to be a bit more descriptive of the kinds of creatures these dragons are and might become. Like any of this stuff, I suppose my meager descriptions are far less enjoyable than your own imagination. Hope this chapter, written to try and get Fundor back on his own feet - to borrow a phrase - will help clear up the picture. _

The next morning Fundor awoke to yet another empty cavern. The rumbling in his stomach seemed to echo the hopeful thoughts that Candasar was out fishing.

"I'm going to wear her out trying to keep up with my appetite" he thought to himself.

Suddenly it seemed intensely practical to try to do something about the situation himself. He felt so completely useless just sitting here. Moving to edge of the water he looked at his reflection in its calm surface, his eyes having been in this dim light for so long that a reasonable representation of his features could be made out. Though it disturbed him emotionally to do so, he felt it was becoming necessary to take an honest appraisal of his assets and liabilities. The creature that stared back at him from the reflection in the pool seemed so strange. Its body was thicker and heavier by far than that of others he had seen, even the larger males like his father had a thinner gracefulness about them, especially in the width of their trunk. His was much bulkier by comparison, his neck much wider at the base tapering much slower toward the overlarge head. His tail was wider and broader too. Though still relatively young it was obvious he was a throwback to a completely different time in his race.

"It seems so obvious now" he thought to himself as he considered Candasar's story of their ancestors. It seemed impossible that these "abnormalities" that he had previously considered defects could have happened all at once and by random chance. The magic of the elves that had condemned his kind to a watery existence were merciful in a way, but they had definitely intended that never again would monsters like himself feed on their kind. He decided then and there that if he ever ran into one of those elves, he would keep that in mind.

Just then Candasar's form broke the water at the center of the pool, startling him and shattering the reflected image thereon. Fundor jumped slightly causing her to grin mischievously as his face obviously showed far too much bidden embarrassment at her having caught him looking at himself so intently.

"Breakfast!" was all she said in way of apology. It was a good apology, for a start.

After Fundor had quickly devoured the two large fish she deposited on the shore, she looked quizically at him and asked.

"Are your ready to try and swim your way out of here?"

"Do you think it's safe? He asked, realizing he had absolutely no idea where her cave was in relation to the lake itself. "Are there any others close to hear me thrashing around trying to swim?"

"I don't think so," Candasar said, thinking about the risk they would be taking. "But keeping you in this cave forever is just not an option. I"d like to get those four massive tree trunk legs of yours on dry land and see what you're capable of"

He looked down in embarrassment, becoming confused. Her sleeping next to him the night before had awoken a strange and unfamiliar yearning that he had failed to yet understand.

"Honestly, I don't know if I can keep up with your food requirements without somehow tapping the land animals on the shoreline." she continued, not noticing his discomfort.

"I have no idea how that is going to work out, though and in that situation, I have no experience whatsoever." She finished at last.

"I will try" he said, at last realizing her innocent intent. "But first I have to learn my way out of this cave"

"That shouldn't be too hard, Candasar replied before slipping soundlessly beneath the surface of the pool adding,"Just take a deep breath and try to follow me"

Splashing noisily through the shallows Fundor gasped a huge lungful of air and threw himself into the water, flattening his legs and arms to their sides and thrashing vigorously from side to side. Opening his eyes underwater, he could barely make out the form of the green water dragoness as she moved away from him toward a large underwater opening in the far side of the chamber. He redoubled his efforts and thrashed his way after her. They passed through a tunnel, unfortunately lined with some sharp edged rocks that proved far harder for his side to side swimming style to navigate without collision and he careened off of a couple of them before straightening out his path and shooting out the other side. He rose quickly to the surface, gasping noisily for air, the still dim light of the morning sun dazzling his eyes, long used to the dark and the deep.

"That wasn't too bad was it?" asked Candasar with concern.

"No," Fundar replied still sucking in air from his massive exertion and feeling the scrapes along his sides burn slightly even in the cold water. "But I really would like to get out of the water!"

Candasar giggled a little, but quickly grew serious.

"Sorry, I forgot, you are still very new at swimming. Head for shore over there. It has some shallows"

Taking a mental picture of the shoreline, Fundar tried to lock in the position of the place that he had come to the surface. It was directly beneath a small cliff overlooking the water, below which lay the entrance to the grotto that was Candasar's lair. The grass and shrub covered cliff sloped down quickly to the left ending up on a pebbled but narrow beach surrounded on three sides by large old growth trees. It looked like a very secluded spot.

"The nearest clan is about a mile and a half down to the right, but it should be alright for you to quickly get to shore, especially if you can make it back behind the trees." Candasar said, as if reading his mind.

Fundor swam quickly in that direction, relieved when his claws found purchase on the rocky bottom and he waded quickly onto the stony beach and up through the underbrush surrounding the large pines that covered the forest's edge. His wide shoulders cracking and snapping the lower branches as he struggled to get through them and out of sight of the water. One of the tree limbs snagged on his "wing" and he gave a little yelp as it tore free. Finally finding a small space where he could turn around, he looked back through the canopy of green to see Candasar had followed him as far as the shoreline. She looked strangely beautiful sitting in the shallow water with nothing but her flippers below the water. Her long neck pivoted from side to side, looking at the tree line for signs of him.

Wrestling through the brush he found a place where he could fit enough to stick his head out between the trees and let her know where he was.

"See if you can catch something to eat" she said softly, her voice amplified slightly as it passed over the water. "I don't think there are any creatures in the forest large enough to give you any problems, but BE CAREFUL!" With that she turned, sliding over the shallows and quickly disappeared into the water. Fundor was alone.


	5. Chapter 5: First blood

First Blood

As Fundor turned away from the lake and back into the forest, the first thing he noticed was that, at least to him, all the trees looked very much the same. They blocked his view and he realized very quickly as he tried to push his way through the heavy undergrowth that it was going to be tough going. Tree branches and their prickly pine needles caught at him in various places and poked at his face as he tried to force his way through them, though he found their scent strange and exciting. He decided to make his way up the sloping hill to the cliff that marked the spot over the opening to Candasar's grotto.

The trees seemed thinner as he climbed and once at the top, he found a clear spot in which he could lay down and stretch out in the morning sunshine. It felt invigorating to lay on the warm grass and look out over the lake. The air was clear and he thought he could make out Candasar's form as she swam swiftly back and forth under water, popping her head up occasionally in the midst of the choppy waves that dotted the lake surface. He resisted the temptation to stand and call out in order to attract her attention, suddenly reminded again how dire the consequences should he be seen by anyone but her.

A stiff morning breeze had risen, and what only could be a gull, hung silently in the air, wings flicking occasionally to make small changes in direction as it too, searched for fish below the surface. He watched in fascination as it dipped and moved riding the currents. Suddenly it dove, piercing the lake water like a shooting star, rising quickly, a small fish wiggling in its beak. Looking over his shoulder at his back he opened his stumpy pathetic wings and felt the air catch slightly beneath them. They provided far too little lift, however, to rise from the hilltop even in the slightest. He snorted in disgust and headed back into the trees, his stomach calling louder than the thrill of unattainable flight.

Pushing onward through the thick growth, it struck him as very unlikely that he would be able to sneak up on anything, unless it had been born deaf to the horrific sounds of a large dragon moving noisily through rough terrain. Fate proved him wrong. He didn't find a meal, he stepped in it.

Moving across a small meadow, he spotted a creek and veered toward it, suddenly thirsty. As he pivoted one of his rear claws dropped into an unseen hole. The occupants of the hole were a family of badgers, two of which were angry or ornery enough to rush out of the smashed entryway hissing and snarling expecting to exact some measure of revenge on the fox or wolf they felt was likely responsible

Hearing their surprised yelps at seeing the actual size of the cause of their troubles, and barely giving it conscious thought Fundor whipped his long neck around and snapped the first one up in one swift bite. The other dove back down the hole, but intrigued by the interesting taste and hungry for more, Fundor swiftly unearthed the den completely with his front claws and pushing aside a large overhanging boulder, under which the den lay, quickly dispatched the other badger and its two cubs. The blood running down his chin was sweet and warm. He then drank deeply from the creek before continuing his search.

A few minutes later, moving through a thin spread of trees, he spotted an odd brownish-black creature, which upon seeing him began bellowing loudly and climbing a nearby pine. An intrigued Fundor headed over to the tree and gazed up at the animal now far above his head in the upper branches. Standing on his hind legs proved insufficient to reach the animal. Suddenly he spotted a much larger animal, presumably the adult version, charging down on him echoing the call of its young up the tree. It lumbered strangely on its much shorter front legs. Fundor snorted in pain and surprise as it swiped at him with an extremely sharp claw and sprang upward trying to sink its teeth into his neck. Anger rising Fundor drove himself forward upon the animal, talons ripping and jaw snapping. There was the crunch of bone as he severed its back and the animal lay still, blood pooling beneath its fur covered body.

Somewhat surprised at what he found himself capable of, but still smarting from the gash in his shoulder, Fundor began feeding on the creature. It was messy work but more food than he had ever had at one time in his entire life. Returning to the creek, he immersed his head into the stream removing most of the gore and drinking his fill once again.

He decided to call it quits after a run in with a small black animal with a large white stripe running down it's back. The creature seemed oddly unafraid of him but when he approached it, turned tail and shot him directly in the face with a vile smelling spray. Eyes blinking and burning he fled, plunged his head once again into the small creek and after removing it, wiped his face desperately on the long grass of the meadow. The smell would not go away, but at least again he could see. He returned to look again for the animal, to get some sort of revenge, but when he did, it was gone. It was time to go home.

Fundor found his way back to the trees by the water's edge and poking his head out from between them, looked out over the lake. The whitecaps were higher in the brisk afternoon wind, and he could see Candasar just offshore swimming back and forth. When she spotted him emerging from the trees at last, she swam quickly over to the shoreline.

"Where have you been?" she asked with worry as he waded out into the water, suddenly retracting her head in surprise "And what is that smell?"

"I have no idea" Fundor replied quickly, "But black animals with a white stripe are not good to eat"

"Is that what cut your shoulder?" she asked looking with concern at the large gash.

"No, that one I managed to make into a meal" he said proudly. "But I definitely should have stopped while I was ahead"

She giggled a little, then wrinkling her saurian nose, she led him out into the waves stopping briefly at the place where they would dive.

"When we get back inside, you can tell me all about it" she said diving swiftly.

Taking a huge lungful himself, he followed thrashing back and forth in her smooth wake until at last he surfaced breathless in the darkened cavern. Suddenly he remembered the little cub he had left up the tree. Who would take care of him now? Such was the harsh reality of making a meal out of someone's mother. Pressing himself against the rock on the narrow shelf, he waited for Candasar to lie next to him. He didn't mind when she pressed a little closer than the night before. It did, however, make it a lot more distracting to tell her about his day.


	6. Chapter 6: The Forgotton Tongue

**A/N Another Chapter of the return of the dragons. So far there have been over 150 hits for this story and a few of you have even reviewed. I appreciate it so very much. Thanks especially to those who have provided so much encouragement as I seem to be unable to create a chapter of decent length. I hope what is here is worth reading, short as it is. **

The next morning, as soon as he could get Candasar to verify that there were none of the neighboring clans fishing in the waters outside, Fundor was out of the cavern and making his best pace for the shoreline. He was eager to explore the area he had visited yesterday further. His swimming was improving slightly but it was clear that he would never be happy in the water. In addition, the red meat he had consumed the previous day had awakened, deep inside of him, an even greater hunger, if that were possible. This morning he was famished. He barely looked back to see Candasar as she waited for him to push through the brush near the water's edge before turning and swimming out deeper into the lake. Fundor was sure she would be relieved to have at least part of the burden of finding food for both of them even partially relieved.

He made his way to the tall tree that had provided the means for the young brown animal but it was gone. The trail left by the smell of its paws was clear, however, and he followed it. It circled around in slowly outward spiraling circles, beginning at the blood soaked soil near the base of the tree that was the site of his kill of the animals older relative. Eventually it headed away deeper into the woods. Reading the scent of the trail was fascinating to him but he had some difficulty in staying on track as everything in the forest was filled with deep and rich odors unknown and mysterious. Still, the hope of finding the animal or more of the larger ones provided sufficient motivation to spur him on.

He crested a small rise and saw a large creature with a huge set of forked spikes sticking out of the top of its head. It looked up startled at his approach, as he had come upon it from downwind. He leapt toward it as quickly as he could and with all of his might, but the animal bounded swiftly away with giant leaping strides, almost as if it could fly. It was certainly too fast for him to give chase. Fundor was very disappointed. The animal had smelled delicious. To make it worse, his brief chase had lost him the trail of the smaller animal he had been previously following and it took him several minutes to pick it up again. Once he found it, he continued on, but soon he felt he must turn back. He was getting quite far from the lake.

Suddenly he felt a strange tickling at the base of his skull and an overpowering sensation that there were eyes upon him. He turned quickly around in a circle but could see nothing. The strange feeling continued and suddenly there was a surprising almost painful pressure behind his eyes and an internal click or pop that he could not hear but only feel. The ideas streaming into his mind, images and strange syllables flooded over him in wave after wave of incredible noise, causing confusion and fear. He bolted, running back the way he had come.

The assault of noise faded only slightly as he ran and thrashed his way through the deep brush and around large trees, he could feel one sound repeating itself over and over, overpowering his own control of his body as he fled in terror.

"_Letta_!"

Fundor struggled as he felt his own control of his massive quivering legs fail and he found himself standing completely still. He turned his head, frantically from side to side, searching for the source of the power that had stripped him of his own free will. Suddenly he saw a strange two legged being, covered in material as green as the forest. It walked around the back of him, and circled to the front. It's eyes never wavering as it surveyed his quivering body. His deep brown eyes had an expression of unmistakable shock and surprise.

"_I never thought I would live to see one of your kind"_ it said, the worlds strange and unspoken but their meaning nonetheless unmistakeably clear in Fundor's mind.

Fundor trembled violently in fear, suddenly beginning to suspect that this being must be one of the elves that Candasar had told him of in her story of their kind. He would, no doubt, now set his entrails a flame from the inside.

"_Do not kill me_" Fundor thought back at the elf, his words filled with terror. "_This one is young_!"

"_Where are the others of your kind?_" the elf asked, suddenly nervously looking around and scanning the skyline over the tops of the nearby trees.

"_They have abandoned me, except for one and she can not walk on land as I do, but only swims. She is in the lake._" he replied, surprised at the readiness he seemed to show to reveal the complete truth to the elf, who seemed to relax a little, but did not allow his eyes to roam too long from the treetops.

"_Do you expect me to believe then, dragon, that you are the only one of your kind_" the elf asked skeptically.

"_Yes, it is true,_" he replied. "_I am a freak, a monster even to my own kind. They tried to drown me only two days ago, but I managed to somehow be saved by one who was merciful."_

"_This is very surprising, and something I must report to my superiors, but not yet I think" _responded the elf with a strange look in his eye. "_First I have many more questions!_"

"_If you please,_" Fundor replied. "_Before we talk much more, I am exceedingly hungry and may die any second if I can not find a meal_"

The elf got a strange look on his face, then began to laugh. He almost shook with the effort of controlling himself as his body spasmed with glee.

"_The old stores are sure right about that part_", he laughed again, surprisingly loudly. "_Dragon, that appetite of yours may turn out to be your undoing."_

The elf reached over his shoulder and freed a long curved piece of wood with a string pulled taught between the two ends. Another smaller pointed shaft he fixed to the center of the string and stalked off into the woods, leaving the dragon standing, helpless, unable to move as if rooted to the spot. About ten minuets later he returned, the curved wood once again over his back.

"_Iet tauthr -_ _Follow me_" he said.

Fundor felt the words that had siezed his control of his body earlier, changing, allowing him to fall obediently in step behind the elf as he walked away from the dragon again, and into the woods. They had not gone five hundred yards when Fundor became aware of the smell of fresh blood. Soon they arrived at the body of one of the head pronged animals that Fundor had tried to catch earlier. It's chest was pireced by the shaft of wood that the elf had fitted to the string.

"This is strange magic, this killing with wood" thought Fundor as the scent of the large animal's warm blood caused his mouth to water.

"_Eat first, then we will talk, dragon_" came the elf's stern voice in his head once again. This was one request that Fundor did not mind complying with.

The elf stepped back, well out of the way as Fundor began to feed. He had a strange look on his face. Fundor watched him with one eye constantly upon him as he dove in ravenously upon the warm body of the animal.

"_This deer gave his life for your nourishment,_" said the elf wistfully. "_I am sworn to protect the animals in this sanctuary and to guard their way of life, but the truth has always been that some must die so that others can live" _

"_Deer eh?" _replied Fundor between crunches of bone "_Very tasty animal. Best I've had in fact_.. _but most of my life I've eaten fish, so I haven't much to compare it to._

"_That is interesting" _the elf replied, an eyebrow arched in curiosity. "_A completely aquatic stable population of water dragon, producing an egg that hatches into a clawed and winged ancestor type. "_

"_I don't know anything about that" _answered Fundor meekly. Gingerly grasping the arrow in his teeth and carefully laying it down at the feet of the elf. "_I was just recently told the old story of our ancestors myself." "It seems I'm a poor specimen of dragon with these pathetic wings. " _

Slipping the arrow back into the tube on his back and looking carefully at Fundor, the elf replied,

"_I've only seen pictures of your kind myself, but I guess you are right. The wings are all wrong, and even though you say you are young, I believe you are quite a bit smaller than the dragon's of old"_

"_I suppose only time will tell," _replied Fundor, "_But if I can eat many more of these 'deer' I might have a chance to grow bigger." _he said as he finished the deer, leaving only the horns and began licking the blood from his claws and face.

"_I will make a bargain with you, dragon." _the elf proposed. "_Meet me here tomorrow morning and we will speak again, and if you are unable on your own, I will shoot another deer for you to feed on."_

"_And if I do not accept?" _Fundor replied suspiciously.

"_Then others of my kind will come. They will not be as friendly or as curious as I am. They will hunt you down." _the elf said slowly

"_And then?" _Fundor asked, already fully knowing the answer.

"_They will kill you_" came the icy reply.

Fundor nodded his head. Even without the truth made plain and clear by the power found in the elf's use of the ancient language, he did not doubt this in the slightest.


	7. Chapter 7 The Elf Traitor

**A/N This fills in a little more depth to the back story and hopefully answers a few of the questions I've received in the feedback. Commentaholic pointed out that it is important to note that Elves are not likely to lightly kill a deer. I working the angle that this elf is a little less than conventional and also very overwhelmed with his discovery. Other than that, read and enjoy. Feedback is always appreciated. **

Fundor left the elf and made his way back toward the water. Looking back over his shoulder he realized that he had already lost sight of him as the obviously expert woodsman had seemed to melt into the forest. Candasar would be angry with him, of course, for being spotted so soon.

"I couldn't help it," he thought to himself, "A dragon's got to eat!"

He began to ponder, though, just how he had been overcome. The elf had spoken into his mind with a power of words that had seized his very will. It was if his own body had been taken over. When he had communicated with his family, and then with Candasar, it had been in dragon speech, a mixture grunts, growls and hisses, with appropriate specific body movements. These thoughts and words of great power that had entered his mind and taken control of him were something altogether different.

What was that word?

"Letta"

He remembered it now. Deep inside he could still feel the power of that word. It meant 'Stop!" It WAS stop. He knew it deep in his bones. Using a word like that a harnessing it's power might come in handy when chasing one of those incredibly fast "deer" that the elf had killed for him. That was a skill that it would be worth acquiring. He didn't think it would be a good idea to get overly indebted to the elf as a means of getting his meals. He suspected that there must be other words of similar potency. He would keep the appointment with the elf tomorrow and pay attention. It seemed like it might be a good idea to have a few of these words of power at his disposal. It might also be worth it to practice with the pronunciation. He wasn't sure his tongue and lips would be up to the task, but it certainly would be worth trying. Fundor decided to keep the meeting with the elf a secret from Candasar, if only for a little while. Knowledge of it would only upset her, and he didn't think she would be willing to let him return tomorrow for the appointment. She had already done too much for him. If the elf decided to tell others of his encounter, they would certainly come to kill him. It would probably be safer for her if he just kept her out of it.

Perhaps I should move into the forest, he thought. Suddenly the thought of leaving Candasar made him feel very sad and lonely. She had risked everything to save him and even though his feelings for her were confusing, she was now the only family he had. Even now he could see her waiting for him out in the water. Her neck arcing out from under the waves so graceful, so free. If only he could move and swim like her in the water. Instead he began his twisting and thrashing as he made his way out to where she was waiting.

"I think I've hunted out the area near the shore over there for a while" he said gesturing back the way he had come from. "How would you like help me find another place to go ashore?"

She looked nervously up and down the lake.

"I think we could probably go a little more south without getting caught if we are quiet" she said at last.

"Did you catch anything today?" Candasar asked interested.

"I have eaten" he replied, but not sharing the details.

"Good!" she said. "So have I, but fishing has been poor, and I find myself strangely interested in what it might be like to eat something "different" for a change"

"I'll see what I can do" he said cautiously.

After a while they came to a point on the lake shore. Swimming quickly away ahead of him she called back that she was going to make sure the cove on the other side of the point was clear. When she gave him the all clear signal, he swam over. A shallow bay with trees growing almost to the water's edge greeted his eyes.

"Looks promising" he said eagerly

"I hope so" she answered, licking her lips. "Bring me something if you can"

"Don't worry, he replied. " I've got a new hunting technique I'd like to try. I think it's going to work out very well"

* * *

The elf watched the dragon from a distance and well out of sight as it pushed its way through the vegetation at the edge of the lake and splashed noisily into the water. He also observed the soundless ripple as the shimmering smooth, gray "water type" rose from the depths and joined him. It was exceedingly strange and created a lot of questions that he must have answers to. If he wanted these answers he would have to move fast. He didn't have much time until he was sure that the dragon would be discovered.

Quickly he turned and made his swift and silent way back through the forest from where he had come. Deep within his soul, he ached for the life of the deer he had slain to feed this dragon. He had never done such a thing before, taken the life of another creature in such a way and for such a purpose. He had, of course, seen the natural process of the carnivorous animals as they hunted and killed for nourishment. He knew the the natural order of this was good and necessary. It surprised him, on a whole new level, that he had so quickly demonstrated the willingness to kill on his own on this encounter. His mother had always told him that his curiosity would someday get the better of him. He hoped that he would now have the chance to prove her wrong.

He flowed swiftly and almost silently through the forest, his feet running effortlessly, swallowing up the miles to the outpost. He didn't often return here while out on sentry and patrol, finding sleeping under the stars or in the large pine scented branches of a tree much more to his liking. The outpost, though, had a small reference library. He definitely had need of it today.

At last the structure came into view. Low and long, the stonework was from the age hundreds of years ago when the elves had not feared to employ the power of their magic in the making of a beautiful building. Each turn and corner flowed in a simple elegance that spoke of both function and form. Incredibly strong, the arch work could, no doubt survive bombardment from even above and the strange clefts in the overhanging roof seemed a likely place to shelter while firing arrows at an unnatural angle into the sky. Left undisturbed, the fortress would stand for another thousand years before the first crack would be found in the durable foundation. The building had been made as a shelter during the early part of the dragon conflict as settlers and farmers would gather together to fend off attacks from their aerial marauding bands, likely as not to fall from the sky and try and make a meal out of you.

Entering the door, he set his bow and quiver on table and rushed to the bookcase. It was where he had last seen it, the ancient tome chronicling the war with the dragons. Flipping through, he found the place in the book he was looking for, the part about the survivors. They were decendants of the one dragon clan that had not chosen to fight the elves. Those that had been the best communicators and come to know the elves as friends.

One of his people that had considered himself a friend of the dragons had broken the leader's orders. He had warned a few of the dragons, in advance of the attack, to seek shelter in the water. When the council of elders had unleashed the magic that turned the dragon's powerful ability to throw fire inward against their own bodies, those he considered his friends had survived. The rebel had paid for his treason with his life. He had been executed. Not able to easily kill those sheltering in the lake, the council had changed the magic, crippling the survivors by cruelly stripping their wings. They also changed their claws to flippers for swimming so that they would not be able to easily leave the lake.

Now a thousand or more years later, the elves were still watching the lake, ringing it with hidden wardens. Mindful always of the power the dragons once possessed and determined to guard against their regaining their freedom.

So engrossed was he in his reading, that he was completely surprised to hear a noise behind him. Snapping the book shut, he whirled around. Standing at the table, staring down at an arrow he held in his hand was his father. The young elf cringed as he suddenly realized that the arrow had tooth marks set far to wide apart to be a bear's or cougars. Worse yet, it still bore some slight bloody traces at the end of the feathered shaft. The look of confusion and disgust on his father's face was unmistakable.

"Eragon, my son, just what have you been up to?"


	8. Chapter 8 The Power of the Blood

**A/N Well, thanks for reading my story. We crossed a milestone of 500 hits total with the last chapter and it seems to be picking up some steam. Since I've got the week off from work, I can probably crank out at least one if not two more this week so stay tuned. Any feedback or encouragement would be appreciated.**

Fundor stood as still as possible. It had taken him at least an hour to get even this close. It just wasn't possible for something as large as himself to sneak up quietly through a forest of crackling twigs and branches. The antlered kind of animal the elf had called a deer was grazing on the lower branches of a tree on the other side of a large sunny brightly lit clearing. Fundor watched intently as it reached as high as possible to nibble on the tender sprigs of green that seemed just out of reach. Fundor's previous three attempts at stalking had ended quickly and disastrously. It had only been on the last one that he had realized that it was critical to circle around and approach from downwind. These deer seemed to have very sensitive noses, or perhaps his kind were smellier than he had previously realized.

"What can you expect from living on a diet of stinky fish" he thought to himself.

He knew Candasar was probably still waiting in the little bay for him to return. He didn't want to come back to her empty jawed. He prepared himself, coiling and tensing the large muscles of his rear legs and silently mouthing the syllable he hoped would hold the deer still long enough for him to close the gap between them. Before anything else could go wrong to ruin this chance he lunged out from behind the think brush while twisting his mouth in patterns complex and foreign to his reptilian ancestry.

"LETTA!" He cried loudly, although the "t" sound seemed slightly soft and hissy.

The strange feeling of energy leaving his body was distracting enough to almost cause him to stop in mid lunge as he trundled across the space between himself and the deer. Eerily he could almost see invisible lines of force, as if a great mental claw was reaching out from his body grasping and holding the object of his hunt. The animal did not move, but it's eyes were wild and terrified. It took a lot more out of him than he expected to hold onto the power he held over the creature and it began to leap just as he reached it, his concentration broken by proximity and the need of his mind to concentrate on matters more physical. He snapped his jaws shut around the deers neck twisting it sharply, the neck snapping, ending it's chance of escape. He dropped the deer and sagged to the ground, exhausted on a level he had not experienced since the night of his near drowning. After several minutes he was able to rise. He gathered the animal once again in his jaws and made his shakey way back to the water's edge.

Candasar was waiting in the shallows, her body submerged but her neck pivoted quickly as she heard his approach. She slithered through the shallow water as he dropped the deer near the shore. His legs almost buckled under him as he tried to appear unaffected by the effort. Whatever this power was based on, it took something from deep inside him. It would require some getting used to it and he would have to build up to it slowly.

"What is it?" she asked eagerly, licking her lips.

"I'm calling it a deer" he replied. "It's quite tasty"

Candasar gave him a strange look but began to feed. Fundor watched her with interest as she tasted her first red meat. He remembered the wonderful flavor from the entire deer he had eaten earlier in the day and despite himself, felt his mouth salivate. As if reading his mind, she looked up from the feast, her eyes glistening with amusement.

"I'm not going to be able to eat this enormous thing by myself Fundor. Would you mind terribly giving me some help with it? She asked.

He was only too happy to oblige. Looking down at her, he suddenly realized how much larger than her he had become, in only a few short days. Part of the explosive growth rate, it seemed came from the diet. He was already almost as large as some of the biggest water bound males, such as his father had been.

As he fed, Fundor could feel the weak shaky feeling left over from using the word power begin to leave his body. By the time he had licked the last of the blood from his lips he almost felt normal again. He would have to be careful, he thought, about using this power. He didn't know what would happen if he tried to use it on two deer at once. He might even lose consciousness. His respect for the elf jumped up a notch. If these had been the adversary of his ancestors, it was little wonder the war was brief. It was amazing that any of his kind had survived at all. It was strange that he had never heard of the water dragons ever attempting to use the power of the words. Perhaps, the words are all lost to them, he thought, if they ever had them at all.

As he swam, following Candasar back toward the cavern, he began to sense something new about her. She swam strongly, looking back somewhat impatiently as he struggled to keep up, her energy seemingly greater than before. Also, she almost seemed to gleam with a power and force new and different. She seemed much younger, more vibrant. He would definitely have to hunt for her again.

And as he lay by her side, in the darkness of the cave, he could feel a different kind of power flowing from her body. An energy made much stronger by the warm red meat he had brought to her. It was evident in every little move she made, even in the subtle changes of scent she had begun to make. It created a hunger in his soul he had not known before. It was all he could do to constrain himself from wanting to get closer to her, Much closer. He closed his eyes tightly in the shimmering glow of the cave and tried not to think about it. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Cursing himself silently for not discarding the arrow that the young dragon had returned to him, Eragon briefly locked eyes with his father before looking away. He didn't want his face giving away too much as he tried to come up with some sort of plausible story. Lying to his father had always been extremely difficult. The man seemed to be able to somehow look into his soul. Surprisingly it was his father who spoke again first

"This is deer blood, Eragon, I hope you have a good reason"

Thinking fast, Eragon remembered the bear cub he had found, lost and crying for it's mother the day before. He had taken it to Anyuwyn, the old elf woman that always seemed to be nursing some young or sick abandoned animal back to health, at least until it could return to a normal life in the forest.

"I found a starving young bear" he said at last. "His mother was no where to be found and his need was great, I gave it meat and then turned it over to Anyuwyn" he said at last, forcing his eyes to meet his fathers at last, hoping the partial lie would work.

"That was a strange decision" his father finally replied, setting down the arrow. "Taking one life, interrupting the natural flow of nature, to save another – It is not our way!"

"You know the council has been concerned about the number of bear declining lately, father" he replied improvising. "They believe the bears provide a deterrent that keep the human men of the village on the other end of the lake from hunting in our forest and," he stammered "the deer are plentiful"

His father nodded slowly, his eyes searching Eragon's face for a sign of doubt.

"I am still disturbed by your rash actions and calloused heart my child" he said sadly seeming to have not noticed the wide spread but shallow teeth marks that still lay, unmentioned on the arrow's shaft.

"Anyuwyn thought it was a good idea for me to bring the animal to her" Eragon said hotly. "Ask her yourself how she plans to feed it!"

"There are ways to feed a bear cub that do not require the shedding of blood, Eragon" his father replied.

"I was almost out of time" he replied nonchalantly. "It was very weak"

"What are you reading" his father asked changing the subject abruptly, almost causing Eragon's knees to buckle as he realized he still held the book of history.

"I found a new plant that I could not identify" he replied, quickly sliding the volume back into the shelf among the others,hoping his father had not noticed its cover.

"I see" his father said raising an eyebrow to a dangerous height. "That almost surprises me more than your reckless behavior. You were always top in your studies on plant life"

Eragon shrugged.

"Did you at least bring a sample of this plant for me to see?" his father asked, as if to further test his story

"The young bear distracted me, father" he replied quickly as if putting an end to the topic.

His father stood still, evaluating for several more seconds before the tension finally left his shoulders. He smiled weakly.

"Well then, will you at least stay for dinner then," he asked. "Your mother will be very happy to see you."

"As you wish father." he replied before noisily gathering his bow and arrows from the table. Snapping the arrow he had shot the deer with in half he threw it into the embers of the small fire that burned upon the hearth. It flashed brightly as first the feathered end and then the slender wooden shaft burst into flame.

Silently and with no further discussion Eragon followed his father through the forest toward the place of his family home. His family had lived in this forest for generations, longer in fact, than any of the other forest wardens and his families homestead was the closest to the small fortress that contained the library. They were there in just a few minutes. His mother Timurah's face lit up with surprise and joy as he straightened up again, having bent low to enter the home, almost invisible to those not knowing it's location. The elves of this forest were keenly aware of the close proximity of men and even though there had been peace for a long time, it had not always been so.

"Eragon! What a surprise!" she exclaimed. "What brings you home?"

"Can you believe the boy actually found a plant he could not identify?" his father answered, interrupting with a chuckle before Eragon was forced to lie yet again.

"The world is a big and wonderful place" she said, beaming as she gazed proudly upon her son. "I am glad you are home!"

Eragon gave his mother a hug and looked around at his small but tidy childhood home. Hanging above the fireplace still hung the ancient sword, its blade covered in the sheath of shimmering white. It had been crafted in the ancient days of war by someone in his family, that much he knew. The rest was shrouded in mystery that his father, if he knew, had not shared with him. Once when he had been a child he had climbed up on the mantle and tried to pull the sword down to inspect it. His father had come into the room and caught him. It was the only time his father had ever given him a spanking. Afterward, though, his father had pulled the sword down and unsheathed it for him to see. The blade had also been bone white, like the scabbard, glowing with a strange and magical light. As far as Eragon knew, the sword had not been down off the wall since.

His mother's cooking was excellent as usual, a delicious assortment of flowers, fruits and nuts. After dinner and cleaning up, the three of them sat talking deep into the night. Eragon told them of his travels and work in the forest, cataloging the animal population and watching the lake for the encroachment of the growing population of human men from the other side. He fought the temptation to tell them the truth as he reported that the water dragons, as usual, had been keeping to their secretive ways beneath the surface of the lake.

"Strange sad creatures, they are" muttered his mother, "In some ways I feel sorry for them." His father shot both of them a curious glance before replying to her.

"They are dumb ignorant beasts, but dangerous. There is a reason it is forbidden to swim in the waters of the lake" he said.

Eragon nodded, remembering the rule quite clearly from his childhood. It was against the rules to have any contact with the water dragons. He didn't wonder for a minute what the council would do if they learned of the land going version he had seen this morning. They would certainly kill it. Briefly he thought of the credit he would receive by being the one to sound the warning, but he had already come too far. He had lied to his father, and now his mother. He would have to see this through, and if things did not go well, kill the dragon himself and hide all traces of the evidence. But first he would do some important research of his own.

As he lay awake in his childhood bed, late that night, he wondered how the dragon he had met had rid itself of the changes the elven magic had created in its formation. His feet and claws were clearly devoid of the flipper changes wrought by the elves and his wings though pathetically small were undeniably there. This particular one, he thought, must be filled with a powerful magic indeed. That, or the elves ancient spell was beginning to unravel. If the later were true his people would have to be warned. He thought again about the female water type that he had seen waiting out in the bay for him. A second generation of the offspring of this dragon could be very formidable enemies indeed.


	9. Chapter 9 New Allies

**A/N Warning. This chapter is rated PG13 for attempted sexual violence: Please review. Thanks. **

Eragon had made his way back to the lake at first light. He had dressed quietly and managed to leave his parents' home without waking them. He knew that they would be saddened that he didn't say goodbye, but then again, he had been out hiking and exploring the forest trails from sun up since he was just a boy. When he had come of age, it had only seemed natural that he join the lake wardens. His parents also knew that he had a rigorous route and schedule to keep as he patrolled the part of the forest assigned to him. They would hardly have expected him to do anything less.

Now as he climbed the cliff at the water's edge and looked out over the expanse of shoreline, the cool gray fog was slowly loosening its grip from the surface of the water. A stiff breeze was blowing and he pulled his cloak tighter around him as he waited. The dragons were nowhere in sight, but he was not concerned. The dragon had seemed to instinctively know that failing to return as promised would certainly be an unforgivable mistake. Just as the sun rose properly, spreading it's brilliant radiance across the sky as it slipped over the tops of the mountains encircling the lake, he saw him. The dragon looked almost comical in the water as it thrashed its body from side to side, more like the swimming style of a serpent than a four legged creature. Still, Eragon had to admit, it seemed to make good progress toward the shore. Wading on to land, it shook itself, like a giant dog and not seeming to notice him, made off with surprising speed through the trees toward the place of yesterday's meeting. He did not see the female, which he found rather curious. More questions. He descended the hill.

"It would not be polite to keep a dragon waiting" he chuckled to himself. He wasn't particularly worried as he approached the clearing, in which they had first met, but nonetheless he notched an arrow as he stepped out of hiding and in view of the creature. He took notice, that it seemed to be noticeably larger than the day before.

"Good morning" he said brightly, sending his thoughts of best wishes toward the dragon, who spun around to face him. It shifted nervously from side to side but only hissed and shook in reply. Eragon pushed forward with his thoughts, thrusting aside the veil of resistance he felt blocking his access to the creature's mind. He pressed through...

"_I have returned... do not kill... I have returned!"_ came at last the thoughts of the dragon, rushing into his mind. They were filled with terror.

"_It is not my wish to harm you_" Eragon replied

"_You carry the wood used for killing!_" the dragon replied, his mental voice almost rising to a shriek

Looking down at his hands, Eragon realized that instinctively he had pulled the bowstring back when the dragon had spun around to face him. Slowly, so as not to cause further alarm, Eragon relaxed the bow and quickly slipped the feathered shaft back into the quiver on his shoulder. The dragon seemed to calm a little.

"_Your words, they are inside my head" _the dragon said, his mental voice seeming to falter, rising and falling in volume as the words came across the telepathic connection.

Eragon stepped closer. It seemed obvious that the dragon had not previously been accustomed to mental communication. Projecting a feeling of calm, he answered.

"_Among my people, this sharing of thoughts sometimes occurs" _he said. "_I believe it is also how someone among my race was able to warn your ancestors about their coming doom and allow a few of __them to escape destruction"_

"_We were enemies, then" _The dragon replied cautiously, then asked suddenly, "Must_ it still be so between us?"_

Eragon looked at the dragon for quite a while before he finally responded

"_I don't think either one of us is in a position to negotiate a peace between our peoples, but perhaps in time, if we are sincere an opportunity may present itself" _

The dragon seemed to ponder the words, struggling with the images the vocabulary had thrust into its mind.

"_This is preferable. I do not want to die. There is a story I have heard that once all my race were as I am... " _It paused and Eragon could sense a deep feeling of shame. "_No, better than me. Bigger and with real wings that could carry them through the air."_

"_You have heard correctly." _Eragon said at last, marveling that the water dragons had somehow kept the stories of their heritage alive.

Seeming to read the images of his unspoken thoughts, the dragon said,

"_By now, only one of my kind still remembers the old stories. It was she that saved me when the others sought to end my life. Even now, all but her believe me dead or they would certainly return to finish the task."_

"_And my people," _Eragon replied, "_If they knew that I was talking to you now, would consider me a traitor and most likely kill me as well" _

"_Then why do you do this thing? _The dragon asked, looking quizzically at him.

"'_I'm not entirely sure,"_Eragon answered, shrugging "_For the most part the dragons from our stories were arrogant and dangerous. Their appetite for blood and death seemed insatiable. They were ferocious physical adversaries, feeding indiscriminately on anything they chose. Men and elves as well as any beast they decided was appealing. Our attempts to communicate with them, for the most part were unsuccessful. It was only by the great skill of one of our foremost magicians and quite a bit of luck that we were able to stop them from laying waste to the world. _

The dragon seemed to ponder the stream of thoughts and words, taking a while before finally responding.

"_So again, I ask. Why do you spare my life, since my birth seems to indicate that my kind may once again have the potential to leave the prison of the lake and return to our faulty ways"_

Eragon looked at the shriveled wings and thought of what it must be like for this creature to be almost completely alone in the world. He himself, had spent months in the forest on patrol, counting and cataloging both plants and animals, but deep inside, always knew that eventually he would return home, to his family that loved him. He finally answered the question for both the dragon and himself.

"_There are also stories among my people, stories not popular or often told about the friendship and respect that existed between one of my people and some of yours. There must have been something worthwhile in that. Something that caused one of my kind to lay down his life to try and save a few of yours. I would like to find out about that." _said Eragon, realizing suddenly as he sent the thoughts to the dragon that he felt sure that the traitorous elf of the history book was somehow looking down upon him and nodding in approval.

"_My name is Fundor" _the dragon said softly.

"_And I am Eragon" _the elf replied reaching out to touch the dragon gently on the nose, realizing that with one terrible snap of the massive jaw he would just disappear.

The dragon did not move, but the remaining tension seemed to leave him. After several seconds it pulled away and finally spoke again, shaking his head, his thoughts sounding massive and somber.

"_Would you mind coming with me over to the water? I would like you to meet someone"_

* * *

Candasar had spent the first part of the morning trying, as was her usual routine, to fish. Not surprisingly however, it didn't seem at all appealing. After feeding yesterday on the deer meat, she had little enthusiasm for the swift darting silver prey of the deep. Still, her energy level was high and she had no trouble catching even some of the faster species.

Besides increased energy, she could feel other changes the strange food had wrought in her. It confirmed to her yet again that her kind were not native to the water. The consumption of fish kept them alive but only as pale shadows of what they might become eventually with a proper diet. Previously only a tiny simmering cauldron, the internal fire of magical energy that she had been carefully hoarding for the use of making changes in the nature of her unborn had burst forth into a roaring furnace of heat. She had not intended it, or planned for it, but now found that her body had unexpectedly made itself ready for a pairing.

"Poor Fundor," she thought to herself. "No wonder he left the cave so quickly this morning" She suddenly realized that she didn't even know how old he really was, nor how his different body type would effect the timetable of his coming to the age of maturity. He had been eating meat for several days now and by the changes it had made in the rate of her own metabolism after only one feeding, she suspected that he was more than ready as well. Based on his change in size alone, his growth had been abnormally fast. It was if both of their bodies had been starved for some missing nutritional ingredient and now that it had been supplied were more than making up for lost time.

As she swam around the point of land that separated the cove that held the underwater entrance to her lair, Candasar suddenly stopped, frozen in surprise. Swimming in the shallow waters were two young but large males. Quickly spotting her arrival they made their way toward her. Her first thought is that they had found Fundor, but quickly realized that if that had been the case, the clan would have sent many more to make an end of him. She scanned the shoreline but saw no sign of him. Off hunting, no doubt. Instead, she suddenly realized that her unplanned sexual readiness had sent traces of an ancient unmistakable call far into the lake itself. The two males were here, she realized in terror, for her!

Her first instinct was to run, but Candasar had deliberately chosen this place specifically for its seclusion and distance from others of her kind. If there had only been one of them, she might have stood a chance in fighting him off, but with two, the outcome of a physical confrontation was inevitable. One or both of them would end up forcing themselves upon her. The carefully crafted ripe ovum that she carried within her would be fertilized by these stupid wretched beasts. She watched as they began circling her in the water as she held her position, spinning rapidly trying to keep herself facing whichever one of them was currently the closest. Their faces locked in malevolent silent grins.

Finally one of them spoke.

"We have smelled you Candasar. You have called us" He hissed.

"Yessss. We have heard stories about the female who lives alone but gives pleasure to all males that approach her" the other replied, lunging in with his long neck to try and bite at her.

"But we didn't expect you to be so young and...smell so tasty" the first one continued, quickly swimming in closer and trying to circle behind her.

"I am not interested!" Candasar said brusquely, pushing away and trying to maneuver herself into a position with her back to the face of the cliff above the entrance to her cave. She didn't want to try to make a run for the underwater opening, in case Fundor had returned and was inside.

"You sssmell interested!" came the nasty reply as one of the males lunged forward grabbing her by the neck. The other quickly swam around to approach her from behind while his conspirator held her. As he rolled on his side in the water she could see his male organ, distended and ready. She struggled frantically feeling a terrified scream escaping her throat.

Suddenly a shadow passed overhead, eclipsing the sun, followed by an incredible shriek and enormous splash. The large male's grip on her neck released as it stared in astonishment at the rolling boil of the surface of the water where his companion had been swimming. The water frothed crimson. Stranger yet, the male that had bitten her neck suddenly let out a strangled cry. A wooden shaft stood out from his shoulder, a feathered tip protruding just inches from where his heart would certainly be beating loudly in his chest.

The surface of the water split open and Candasar saw Fundor, the other males neck hung limp and shattered in his powerful jaw. As he struggled to the surface of the water, his thrashing wings cast water droplets high into the air. The remaining male gasped in shock but dove quickly as a second arrow missed hitting him in the neck by a narrow margin. Looking up to the cliff above, Candasar could see a man dressed all in green as he quickly placed another wooden shaft against the string of the weapon he carried.

"_Don't let him escape!_" The man in green called to her, his urgent words reverberating in her mind. Shaking free of her shock, Candasar dove after the remaining male, swimming with an anger of purpose that she had rarely felt before toward one of her own kind.

No doubt the arrow in his shoulder slowed him, but the big male had put on a burst of speed that was yet impressive. It was, however, easy to follow his bloody trail through the water. She caught up with him at the point. When he at last realized that he could not outdistance her, he wheeled to fight. Even with his wound he was still much larger than her and enormously strong.

"Do you really think you will be able to kill me?" he scoffed at her as she lunged toward him, seeking a grip

"I might" she replied, "Old as I am, I have learned a few tricks while fighting off young, stupid brutes like you"

The male did not waste words but growled angrily as it swung a head full of razor sharp teeth once again toward her throat. She dodged and struck back, tearing a deep slash in the side of its face.

"Now you won't be so pretty if you live through this and attempt to force yourself on some other female" Candasar taunted, the heat of battle awakening an intense internal heat in her spirit. She was angry. Angry at this male. Angry at all of the others that had individually tried to force themselves on her over the years. Angry at her life of exile and the hatred she felt from those of her own kind. Angry that now that she was so close, they once again had tried to steal her dreams. In her fury, though, she miscalculated and left an opening for him. He found her throat with his teeth and bit down hard, she felt the pressure of his jaw on the bones in her neck. She would have screamed but no air would come out.

Suddenly the pressure released. Looking down she was surprised to see yet another feather tipped shaft protruding from the base of the male's skull. His eyes glazed and his body twitched reflexively just before it began to sink beneath the waves. On the shore at the point was the elf. The bow still clenched tightly in his hand. It had been an amazing shot. Candasar sagged in the water, gasping for breath, the agony in her neck stripping away the anger she had felt only moments before.

Who was this elf and what had Fundor said to him to elicit his help? She wondered. Years of fear overcome by an overpowering curiosity, Candasar turned and made her way back to the beach where Fundor lay panting in the shallows. Nearby the body of the first dead male bobbed up and down in the water. His guts lay torn open from the deep raking of Fundor's rear claws. She nuzzled him in thanks as he turned and rose to greet her.

"That was close!" he said quietly.

"They will eventually be missed" she said at last. "Others will come looking for them"

"We will face them together when they come" Fundor replied, nodding toward the elf picking his way quickly toward them over the boulders on the shoreline. "And we will have help"

"What deal have you made Fundor" she asked sagging against him, her neck oozing from the jagged marks of the male's sharp teeth.

"I have renegotiated an old relationship" he said slowly. "But now you need rest, and food. Go to the cavern and I will hunt for you. For both of us."

Candasar nodded and swam out toward the entrance to her cave. Looking back she saw the elf reach the young dragon on the shore. It astounded her that she saw Fundor lay his large head upon the elf's shoulder, as if in thanks. Wearily she dove underwater for her bed. Explanations would have to wait. She hoped the two dead males would not be missed too soon. Reaching her small shelf she lowered her head to rest, but unbidden and springing to her eyes in spite of herself, the tears began to flow as slowly the terror began to leave her. Deep within her, she could feel the heat of her eggs and the promise that they bore.. She would have to be much more careful with them.


	10. Chapter 10 Limits

**A/N Thanks for the constructive reviews. I've decided to do it the hard way here, so stick with me while I develop some characters and lay some groundwork. Hit counter was down, so I've no idea on the readership of this story at this point. We were closing in on 1000 hits last time the counter worked, so I'm going to assume we're there or at least close. I appreciate you reading, and as always, constructive comments are appreciated. **

Eragon stared down at the torn body of the water dragon as it rose and fell in the small waves that lapped at the lake shore. Fundor's rear claws had torn through the underbelly leaving a grotesque display of internal organs blood and fatty tissue exposed. It was a good thing death had come from the snapped neck instead of the many minutes of agony it would have required the creature suffering such injuries to die, he thought. The other, his arrow lodged in its brain stem had also met a mercifully quick end.

"I have killed, yet again!" he thought bitterly. "What am I becoming?"

"_Fundor_!" Eragon called suddenly as the blur and haze caused by the shock of what he had just participated in began to dissipate.

The stub winged dragon, who had been about to leave the narrow beach and enter the forest, returned to his side, gazing down at the carcass to which Eragon pointed.

"You need to h_elp me drag this body up into the forest, we need to bury it quickly_" he said as the enormity of the decisions and actions he had taken began to settle, crouching and snarling in his troubled soul.

Together they pushed and pulled the dead body of the male up over the stony shore, through the brush and into the tree line, Eragon having to return several times to retrieve bits and pieces of intestines that spilled out of the open body cavity before Fundor managed to roll the creature over onto its back. Handling the wet slimy organs made Eragon want to vomit. There was so much blood. Watching Fundor as he grasped the creature by the neck, Eragon suddenly was struck with a thought.

"_Fundor, do you have any desire to feed on this one's body_?" He asked cautiously.

Watching the dragon's face, it occurred to him how short a time he had known the dragon and how unlikely it was that he would be able to decipher what it was thinking by looking at facial expressions at all. When the answer came, it actually relieved the elf somewhat to hear it.

"As l_ittle as I look forward to the work it will take to dig a hole large enough to bury it, I feel great disgust at that suggestion_" replied Fundor, locking eyes with Eragon.

He continued as if reading the elf's thoughts.

"_I know you consider me a bloodthirsty meat eater, but would YOU eat another elf that you killed defending someone in your family?"_

"_No I would not," _answered Eragon, the bile rising in his throat at the thought.

"_We elves to not eat meat at all, but even if we did we would certainly not eat __our own kind_."

"_Although I once was once told about an extreme winter when dragons ate their own kind to avoid starvation_" Fundor replied icily. "_The thought of it is disgusting to me_"

"I wonder why?" Eragon thought to himself, but did not send the question to the dragon who was now beginning to dig rapidly in what looked like an already previously partially excavated burrow.

"_I pulled some animals out of a hole here a few days ago_" Fundor explained to the unasked question. "_It seemed a good idea to drag him here and follow up on the work that I had already started. It will save some time"_

Eragon watched in fascination as the dragon used both sets legs in unison, it's sharp claws cutting through the soft earth like large garden trowels. His muscular rear legs pushing the ripped up dirt backwards, up and out of the quickly expanding hole. There was not much he could do to help, but the dragon made relatively quick work of it. For digging at least, it seemed advantageous to Eragon for the dragon to have smaller wings. Larger ones would have certainly trapped at least some of the dirt the dragon was vigorously throwing out behind him.

"_How did you learn to do that?_" He asked as together they pulled the body into the hole. "_You have obviously never had anyone that could show you how._

The dragon paused a moment, as if thinking.

"_I don't know_" it finally said. "_I guess it is just a skill I was hatched with."_

"_That would have been a relatively useless skill if you had come with flippers" _Eragon commented, but nodded with admiration as Fundor, after pulling the dead dragon into the hole with a squishy plop, began piling the dirt on top of the body. At last he finished it off by pushing the large boulder that had been laying nearby over the top of the freshly turned earth.

"_Do you think another of your people will find him now?_" Fundor suddenly asked.

"_You have done your part_" replied Eragon. "_Leave the rest to me_."

"_What about the other one still in the lake?_" Fundor asked.

"_That one is actually more important_." The elf said. "_Its got two of my arrows still sticking out of it."_

Fundor only growled in acknowledgment, a low rumble that sent shivers up the elf's spine as he turned and started to move quickly away.

"_I will have to wait. I go now to hunt"_ he said, violently shaking the remaining dirt from his body as he walked toward the trees.

The elf watched him go, standing silently and allowing his thoughts to calm. Then reaching down with his mind he sent tendrils of thought into the soil that covered the newly filled hole, Patiently he sought the location of the hundreds of thousands of seed spores that lay sleeping within the top few inches of the newly turned dirt. He could see them in his mind's eye, laying there filled with life. so many pinpricks of energy, like stars dotting the night sky. Locking onto them with the power of his mind he said the words.

"_Eldhrimner nuanen, dautr abr deloi, Eldhrimner un fortha onr feon vara."_

The rich brown soil overturned and disturbed by the efforts of the dragon began to twist and writhe of its own accord, as the seedlings and plants within it answered the ancient call of magical power. Grow! This was Eragon's greatest skill and he smiled to himself as the plants began to spread and cover all evidence of their having dug there In only a few minutes the explosive growth was done. An unbroken field of green meadow and low lying plants lay before him. It would take someone deliberately looking to find the body of the dragon that Fundor had killed. Looking back toward the lake, Eragon wondered if he was going to be lucky enough to find and hide the body of the one that he had killed with the arrow. For this task he would need the female. Fundor had said her name was Candasar. She was, no doubt resting in her cave after her ordeal with the two males.

Retracing the path over which Fundor had pulled the dead body, Eragon moved small rocks and branches and sent small magical requests for additional growth from various plants that they had disturbed along the way. By the time he reached the lake shore, except for a few smears of blood that the next rain would wash away, there was nothing to show even his trained eye that they had dragged something large though here.

The underwater entrance to the cave that Fundor had been sharing must be directly below the cliff face, Eragon realized as he swiftly climbed the side of the steep hill overlooking the water. It was from here that Fundor had leapt to disembowel the first male. It was from here that Eragon had fired his arrow, in an impulsive decision to help this strange pair of dragons. Whatever the consequences, there was probably no turning back now.

Suddenly he felt surprisingly light headed. Staggering a little he stopped for a moment to lean against a tree overlooking the water. The magical energy he had used to grow the plants quickly along with the grisly physical effort of dragging the bloody carcass through the brush must have taken more out of him than he thought, he realized. He quickly pushed the feeling aside. He had no time for weakness.

Before removing his green forest garb, to keep it dry, Eragon scanned the shoreline for signs of the other lake wardens. He had a good vantage point from the cliff top. There was no one in sight. If he was to be seen, however, as he entered the lake, having to answer to them for breaking the rule about swimming in it's waters would be the least of his worries.

Stripping off his clothes he quickly hid them under a rock. Feeling the wind bite at his naked body, he gathered a lungful of air and dove headfirst into the lake. The water was colder than he had expected.

Candasar awoke in throbbing agonizing pain. The powerful jaw of the male the elf had killed had deeply bruised the bones in her neck. She groaned and started to try and shift herself to a more comfortable position but suddenly stopped, a rising sense of terror seizing hold of her. Fundor was nowhere to be seen, but due to the faint luminous glow of the cavern walls, she realized that she was not alone.

Ancient fears and a lifetime of living in hiding rose to a fevered pitch as she spotted the elf squatting on a large boulder near the water's edge. He seemed to be staring at her. Strangely he was no longer green in color, but his body seemed a almost uniform brown. She squirmed under his gaze, unsure what she should do. There was nowhere to go, except past him and into the water. Remembering that it was the elf that had killed the male that had almost crushed her spine, gave her the confidence to do nothing. If he had wanted to harm her, she would be dead already. Strangely though, she did not see his weapon. Pointing her long slender head directly at him, she waited. It did not take very long for him to speak.

"_I thought we should meet_" he said. The unheard words tickling strangely in her mind. "_I hope that you are feeling better._"

"_My neck still hurts!_" thought Candasar, surprised when the elf seemed to nod as if understanding her thoughts.

"_If you wish, I will try to help you_" came the strange musical words again into her mind.

Candasar only nodded.

The elf paused for a moment than spoke aloud.

"Heill"

The word meant "Heal" and its power to effect her was felt immediately. Even as she marveled at how "suitable" the word sounded in her ears, how correct its purpose for this occasion, she felt a warmth in her neck and a great easing of the ache, deep in her bones. In addition the puncture wounds on her skin and in the muscles seemed to quickly fade. Candesar could almost see the energy flowing in the eye of her mind as it left the elf's outstretched hand and flowed first to the skin of her neck and then deeper into the bruised muscles and bones. She was amazed that she could even help guide the direction of it's healing power to the places that hurt the worst. The energy seemed a silvery blue string of light. It felt wonderful. Grasping at it with her mind, she caught the end, like a rope and began to help it along, pulling as the elf pushed.

Suddenly she felt a great resistance and tension on the cord as it snapped taught. Caught up in the wonder of feeling incredible heath and even a sense of renewed youth, she resisted, continuing the flow. Savagely the energy began jerking and shaking as finally it tore free of her grasp. The marvelous healing flow of power was stopped.

Candasar stared at the elf in grateful amazement but then watched in surprise as his eyes rolled up into his head and he crumpled, followed by a huge splash as he fell face first into the dark murky water at the shallow end of the cave. He did not move.

Confused, she thought to herself

"Fundor will be very disappointed with me. I have already managed to kill his elf"


	11. Chapter 11 Death of a Dream

**As always constructive comments appreciated: If you like the story please review. **

Fundor was angry. He was also confused. The excitement of battle had come to far too abrupt an end. Although he was glad Candasar was safe, part of him, a huge angry part wanted to have ripped the second one, from end to end as he had the first. He regretted that in his clumsy leap from the cliff top the ineffective way his wings slowed his decent caused him to fall too swiftly upon the neck of the first attacker, breaking it instantly. He could only hope that in the final firing synapses of death the disembowelment could still be felt. He suspected the end of such pain had come far too quickly. Fundor had wanted him to feel his rage, and watch him die slowly.

As for the second, it was frustrating that he had died with the elf's arrow in his skull, instead of by his own claw. His crushing jaw. The elf, of course had done what he could not do himself. Fundor had cursed his inability to swim fast enough to keep up with the water dragon as it had fled the cliff side pursued by Candasar. The elf had sprinted around to the point faster than he had been able to swim the much shorter distance. He had watched helplessly as the big male had taken Candasar by the throat, unable to reach them in time.

He could not fly and he could not swim. Only here on land did he have any chance of success, but only by using a word of a language that he also had borrowed from the elf. Unfortunately the use of it required a power that he had in short supply. He would have to make a point of asking the elf about that shortage very soon.

Now as he circled slowly and carefully through the wood attempting to gain an upwind position on an unsuspecting deer, he could still feel the fire of his fury smoldering for blood and death. He would show Candasar that he could supply her needs as well as protect her. This reversal of their roles, without even pausing to consider it, seemed right and necessary to him.

Reaching the optimum point of attack, he jumped from behind the cover of the tress, the pounding fury of his legs and the utterance of the magical word of holding united in the swift attack. The deer did not even begin to move as the dragon broke its back at the end of his charge. Fundor did not stop to savor the moment. Devouring the broken body of the deer, he did not even bother to lick his face clean before starting off again in search of more blood.

After gorging on a second kill, it occurred to him that he had never felt full before. It was a good feeling. He intended on having it often. It was if deep inside the availability of food in this quantity had turned the key of some invisible lock giving his body permission to change and grow.

He could feel energy coursing through him. Suddenly he let out a roar, surprising himself. He quickly looked around, considering the danger of discovery. Eragon had gone to great lengths to hide all evidence of the killing of the first water dragon. He didn't think the elf would want him attracting unnecessary attention to the area, but somehow, at this moment, he didn't care. He could feel the energy the red meat provided him and considered whether he held enough power to use the word of holding again. He didn't want to incapacitate himself. He considered heading back. He didn't think he would have much chance of sneaking up on another deer while he was making so much noise.

Finally his desire to impress Candasar by bringing her a fresh kill won the debate. As quietly as he could, he began circling in ever widening arcs through the forest.

"Definitely a third" he chuckled to himself moving even deeper into the woods, completely oblivious to the female elf that silently stood back shrouded by the darkness of the trees, watching with great interest as he eventually moved off and away. When he had gone, she too vanished, fading silently into the forest, like a swirling gray mist.

As gently as she could, Candasar grabbed the elf's body in her mouth and pulled him out of the water and up onto the narrow shore. Laying him down in the driest place she could find, she was relieved to feel his heart faintly beating in his chest. Reflexively he coughed, before setting into a rhythmic breathing pattern, the ribs slowly rising and falling. Not yet dead then, but what had happened? She pushed his body with her snout. It still did not move. There were no answers. She would have to wait for Fundor's return. Candasar sat alone in the darkness but as close to the elf as she could. It was the least she could do to try and keep him warm.

Sometime later, the still water of the lagoon was broken by the thrashing body of Fundor returning with a deer in his jaws. He seemed exhausted, staggering to the narrow beach with shaky legs. Dropping the deer, he stared at Candasar curled up next to the elf in surprise.

"What happened?" he asked in confusion. "Is he dead?"

"Not yet, but soon I think" she replied. "He healed my neck, then just fell down. I had to pull him from the water"

Fundor nudged the unconscious elf with the end of his nose. He did not stir. Candasar looked at the body of the deer that he had dropped in the shallow water.

"Is that for me Fundor?" she asked licking her lips

"Yes", he said distractedly. "Take as much as you want. I have eaten." "But after you have finished, I want to try and find the body of the other male that attacked you. It was important to Eragon that we try and hide it. He will get into a lot of trouble if it is found."

"It looks like he won't have to worry about that now" Candasar replied sadly.

"But we still do" Fundor replied quickly. "Besides, I don't think he is going to die. I think he is unconscious because he used up all his magical power."

"What do you mean?" she asked, between huge bites, her head twisting around from the carcass of the waterlogged deer to make eye contact with Fundor.

Quickly Fundor explained to her the way in which he was able to hold a deer from bolting by using a word of power. A word that originally the elf had used on him the first day they had met.

"The use of this magic takes away some of my energy." he said finally. "I think the elf might have used up his trying to heal you"

"Very interesting" said Candasar at last. "I felt his energy flowing into me. We wrestled for it. I pulled it from him. It felt so good Fundor, I didn't mean to hurt him!"

"Perhaps we can put some of it back!" said Fundor suddenly. "Can you remember what word he said when he started to heal you?"

"Of course I can." the dragoness replied, taking a deep breath. "The word was... _Heill"_

In her mind's eye Candasar saw the blue light arc from her and land on Fundor.

"NO! Not there!" she thought causing the light to snap and crackle like a bolt of lightning as it engulfed the body of the prone elf with a shimmering glow. She fed the flow trying to push back slowly and gently, some of what she had taken. She stopped, severing the link only when the elf began to stir, groaning and rolling onto his side before rising to his feet in a crouch. His eyes were wide in surprise. Leaning with his arm upon the cavern wall, he climbed to his feet. Looking at the two dragons just a few feet from him, Eragon finally spoke.

"_You two are definitely more than I expected_" he said silently, the sound of his thoughts entering pleasantly into both their minds.

"_Eragon, I would like you to, at last, meet Candasar_" said Fundor.

"_We have met_." he replied smiling.

Candasar only nodded in reply. Her thoughts suddenly turning inward as she took stock of something internal, tragic and unexpected. Not only was she no longer in heat, but the simmering flame of one of her unborn and unfertilized ovum flickered and went out. Her mind could see the darkness begin to settle upon it as the fragile life potential it bore was stripped of the magical energy that had made it so. Now only three remained. Trying to remain calm she returned to the half eaten deer and began again to feed. She took hold of the meat of the deer in great gulps trying to replenish some of the energy she had so quickly spent. Despite herself, Candasar could feel a deep groaning begin inside her and in spite of her efforts to suppress it, soon it sprang forth into a full fledged wail. Fundor, as he watched her seemed confused and he looked toward Eragon for answers. Walking down to the water's edge, he touched her flank, speaking softly so that only she could hear.

"_Thank you for returning my life dragoness._" he said softly.

"_And thank you for saving mine, earlier today_" she replied stiffly. "_If you had not killed that male, he certainly would have snapped my neck_"

"_It only cost me a couple of arrows_." The elf replied, "_But I think you have paid far more, this time_"

"_I have returned payment for your life with only a dream, elf. A dream that was never meant to be_." Candasar said finally, looking down on the little brown man.

As if finally understanding at last, the elf sniffed the air.

"_Candasar_" Eragon replied, "_If I am able to have anything to do with it, I will try to see to it that the rest of your dreams come true_."


	12. Chapter 12 The upward path

**A/N A new chapter. Enjoy. Thanks for reading. I know it's been a while but I've been really busy. Thanks for the patience. **

In the eerie glow of the cavern's bio-luminescence the three stood silently, staring awkwardly at one another. It was Fundor that at last broke the mental silence by sending his questioning thoughts toward Eragon.

"_Are you well?_ He asked cautiously. "_Did Candasar do the right thing by speaking this word_?"

Inwardly the elf was rather surprised at the force the female had used to wrest the internal energy that supplied the power for such things away from him in the first place. . As far as he had known, the water dragons of the lake had no magical abilities. In spite of this Candasar seemed to have incredible natural talent in that area.

Eragon had been chosen for his job as a warden, at least in part, because of his natural talent in the ways of living things. He had an exceptional gift and even among those of his own kind, his powers of perception and control among both plants and animals was exceptional. Using his gift, he could see now, burning brightly within the body of this female, the three remaining unfertilized ovum, shining with a magical light. A glow that made them stand out to him like blazing stars in a deep night sky. Next to them, still smoldering like an extinguished coal was the fourth. Its magical fire cold and dead. The power it had held now pouring through his soul, giving him back his life.

He had never seen anything like this before. Candasar must have been slowly feeding magical energy to these eggs for most of her life. Changing them in her own body as she carried them. A dawning light of his own, began as Eragon realized that this female was single handedly trying to undo the magic his people had performed upon the dragons so long ago. That's why she had rescued Fundor. He was the closest thing she could find to a dragon of old. It was exciting and terrifying! Lifting his hand from where it had touched the side of the female, the elf finally answered Fundor's question.

"_That which your companion had accidentally taken from me as been returne_d" Eragon sent to both of the dragons. "_She meant no harm_"

"_This is good_" Fundor replied, "_I believe there is much we can learn from each other_"

"_Candasar has revived me_" he sent to the dragon. "_Although it has cost her a great deal. One of her unborn children has perished because she helped me."_

Confused Fundor looked at the her with a strange light of recognition dawning.

"_You were in heat!_" he said at last. "_That is why the males attacked you and that is why I've been feeling so confused and protective!"_

Candasar hung her head, perhaps in embarrassment, perhaps in way of apology before answering softly.

"I_t came as an unexpected surprise to me_" she said, "_I have always had more control of my own body and have previously been able to control such things better. The meat I have eaten has awakened something out of my control. It was not my intent to begin this so soon"_

"_So soon?" _Fundor replied icily. "_Is that why you saved me? As a way to fertilize your eggs?_"

Looking at the female water dragon, Eragon could almost see her blush, if that were possible for a dragon. Looking at the elf, she avoided the question. Instead she asked one of her own.

"T_ell me Eragon, what right did your people have to destroy and take from my people what we once were_?" she asked angrily. The power of her thoughts reverberating in anger in the elf's mind.

Eragon paused, suddenly considering what a vulnerable position he might find himself in if one, or both of these creatures decided to settle an age old score. He had left his bow and even his clothes back on the lake shore.

"_What was done to your people, by mine, an age ago, was done during a period of war and misunderstanding._ " He said quietly, sending the sincerity of his belief along with the words. "_Your kind were feeding on elves and the method that was used was in desperate times and done in defense. "_

"_You have your excuses, but now yet again, saving the life of an elf has taken the life of a dragon!" _Candasar, screamed in mental rage, her feelings of grief and frustration over-riding all sense of logic.

"_The war is not over elf! Dragons will return!" _Candasar said menacingly as she thrust her long neck forward, her teeth snapping on air as the elf ducked quickly, trying to get some distance.

Suddenly Fundor was between them, roughly shouldering the dragoness backwards and into the water, the force of his passing pinning Eragon himself to the wall of the cavern, knocking the air from his lungs.

"Candasar stop!" Fundor cried, angrily resorting to dragon snarls and barking squeels

"Do you side with this elf against me_?_" Candasar snarled in return, a sense of shock filling her voice

"I have made a bargain with him because I need his help" Fundor answered, "We both do!"

"I leave you to him then!" Candasar replied bitterly "I do not need or want the help of those that enslaved and crippled me!"

Gasping for breath Eragon wriggled out from behind Fundor and tried to speak but the dragoness whirled and dove into the water disappearing from sight. Fundor stepped forward as if to follow but then stopped and turned back to the elf.

"_I will never catch her, she's too fast in the water_" he said glumly.

Staring at the ripples in the dark water, Eragon sent magical tendrils of thought out into the underwater passageway. Candasar was indeed gone.

"_I think_" he said at last, sighing, "_It would be best to be gone before she gets back"_

"_Agreed"_ said Fundor with a strange tone in his voice, and then with a strange tone in his thoughts,"

"_She wanted to mate with me!"_

"_Yes, I do believe so, Fundor" _Eragon replied still shocked at how fast things had a habit of getting out of hand when dragons were involved. "_She wants to resurrect the flying dragons and restart the war __and I'm right in the middle of trying to save the male she wants to accomplish it with!"_

"_She's not in heat anymore" _Fundor replied slowly, "_I can smell that much_"

"_No, saving me with her magic threw her system off, it will take some time before she is ready again" _Eragon answered.

"_Then there is still time to get her to change her mind_," Fundor said.

"_I'm glad you agree!_" Eragon said, a little surprised. "_Re birthing the flying dragons is far too dangerous_"

"_Oh we are going to do that,_" replied Fundor confidently, looking back over his missive shoulder as he began to wade out into the pool and toward the exit. "_I meant the part about going to war. We are going to learn to get along"_

Shaking his head, Eragon followed. When they found out, he didn't think the elves were going to like this. Not at all.

Fundor and Eragon made it to the beach and after retrieving his clothes and weapons, the elf led the young dragon deep into the forest. For hours they picked their way slowly, ever upward, climbing from the basin of the lake toward some caves part way up the mountain the elf knew about. Eragon tried to be patient as their path was slowed as the dragon had to go around the thickest brush and largest rock piles as they climbed. Eragon would scramble up a small cliff, or slip through a narrow place between thick trees, then wait, brooding and thinking as the dragon made his way around the most recent obstacle.

They had been unable to take the risk of trying to find the second dead water dragon's body. Fundor insisted that his swimming was just not up to it. Eragon had really wanted to find the one with the arrows, his arrows, sticking out of it. Find it and hide it. The elf could only hope that it would stay sunk long enough for a deep current to take it far from the area. Fundor seemed to think that there were fish in the lake that would eventually eat it, bottom feeders, but Fundor also admitted to knowing far less about the swimming inhabitants of the lake than he ought to. The dead dragon had been large and the elf thought it was wishful thinking that it would just diappear.

Finally they arrived at the caves that Eragon had been trying for, but by then it was late evening. Finding one that was large enough to hold both the dragon and himself, Eragon propped himself against a rock and tried to sleep. In the rear of the cave, he could already hear the sounds of Fundor's breathing as it switched to the slow deep breaths of exhaustion. Climbing all the way up here had been hard work for the dragon but he had not complained, not once. He seemed, already to implicitly trust the elf that he had just met, and Eragon wasn't even really sure why. For some strange reason, as well, Eragon realized that he seemed to trust the dragon. Fundor had surely stopped Candasar from killing him, and chosen the elf, even over one of his own. Was this the bond that had caused one of the elves to risk everything to save the few dragons that he could from certain death?

Finally, Eragon felt sleep beginning to overtake him. It had been a very long day. Through half closed lids he could see the moon rising over the tops of the trees and the gentle warm evening breeze of the promised spring pushed his hair across his forehead. What would Candasar do for a mate, now that he had taken Fundor so far from the lake. Eragon felt a tinge of worry as he remembered the magical grip she had used on him to drain him of the remainder of his magical energies. She was an unknown factor. He was glad she didn't know any more magic than she already did. He didn't think she could get into too much trouble with just a healing spell. Not if she wanted to keep her eggs in tact. She just wasn't that powerful. With that the elf drifted, at last, off to sleep.

Across from the cave entrance, high up in the branches of the pine tree, the young elf woman watched as Eragon at last closed his eyes. She had followed them silently, unseen during their entire journey to this place. The hastily scribbled message she had tied to the leg of one of her pigeons was no doubt already in the hands of the elder council. Tomorrow at first light she would return to find men at arms ready to follow her to this place. They would deal with this fool and that monster that he had brought here. Then Relanda would have his place among the Wardens. She would be at last recognized for her skills of woodcraft and no longer passed over as a mere woman. Tomorrow she would be known as the one that saved her people, again, from the dragons. This time, they would be certain to finish the job in the lake as well.


End file.
